星空传媒

Entertainment

    • Movie Reviews: 'Babylon' has a maximalist vision that offers a wild ride

    This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Margot Robbie, center, in "Babylon." (Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP) This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Margot Robbie, center, in "Babylon." (Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP)
    Share

    BABYLON: 4 STARS

    This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Margot Robbie, left, and Diego Calva in "Babylon." (Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP)
    There is nothing modest about 鈥淏abylon,鈥 the new three-plus hour epic from 鈥淲hiplash鈥 director Damian Chazelle, now playing in theatres. It is unapologetically epic in themes, in length and in sheer off-the-wall exuberance.

    A multicharacter treatise on the movies and knowing when to leave the party, it is 鈥淏oogie Nights鈥 by way of Fellini鈥檚 鈥淪atyricon鈥 with a dash of 鈥淪ingin鈥 in the Rain鈥 thrown in for good measure. Love it or hate it, and there are valid reasons for either response, it is audacious, chaotic, vulgar, and, like its leading lady, it always makes a scene.

    The action begins in 1926 in Bel Air, then a dusty patch of dirt. Hollywood wannabe Manny Torres (Diego Calva) is an up-and-comer who鈥檒l do almost anything to break into the film business. That includes the wrangling of full-sized elephant to be used as entertainment at a wild Hollywood party later that night. Pulled over by a cop who amusingly informs him, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 drive an elephant without a permit,鈥 the quick-thinking Manny talks his way out of a ticket and gets the job done.

    Later, while working as security at the decadent bash, he meets Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a bombshell party girl with an attitude and a taste for cocaine and attention. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 become a star,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou either are one, or you ain鈥檛.鈥

    She isn鈥檛 famous, but she is a star. To Manny she represents everything he aspires to be and it鈥檚 love at first sight. For Nellie it鈥檚 a chance to expose herself to the Hollywood elite and sure enough, her provocative wild child style catches the eye of a producer who hires her on the spot to replace an actress who overdosed at the party.

    Meanwhile, as a live band, led by trumpeter Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), blows the roof off the place, matinee idol Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) splits with his third (Or maybe his fourth. Who鈥檚 counting anymore?) wife and is drowning his sorrows in champagne and cocktails.

    As the music blares, the dancers dance, the drinkers drink, the touchers touch and the snorters snort. It鈥檚 a bacchanal, the kind of party that only could have existed before the invention of the cell phone camera and TMZ.

    As the sun rises, the party breaks up. Nellie drives off, on her way to the studio to make her big screen debut, and Jack takes Manny under his wing, giving him a start in that business called show.

    There is more. So much more, but 鈥淏abylon鈥 is not a film that lends itself to a Coles Notes treatment. Put it this way, one of the stars fights a rattlesnake, surely the climax of a regular film, but in 鈥淏abylon,鈥 there鈥檚 still two more hours of story to go.

    Chazelle鈥檚 maximalist vision is gloriously off the hook. He fills the screen with overstuffed detail, creating an avalanche of images and ideas. It is, by times, unfocused and sloppy, and begins to 鈥淏abylon-and-on鈥 near the end of the 3-hour and 15-minute runtime, but the sheer exuberance of it won me over.

    A story of loving something that can鈥檛 love you back, whether it is the movies, a gig, drugs or a person, Chazelle weaves a complicated tale of the highest highs and lowest lows, of glitz, glamor and grime that examines the notion of stardom and what happens when times change.

    Adversely affected by shifting tastes is former matinee idol Jack, played by current matinee idol Pitt. A king of early Hollywood, he鈥檚 a Douglas Fairbanks style action star who always gets the girl in the final reel. He believes in the power of the movies鈥斺淲hat I do means something,鈥 he says earnestly.鈥攖o uplift people beginning to feel the sting of the Great Depression but as the sounds of Al Jolson鈥檚 voice begins to fill theatres, Jack is the last to realize his time at the top has passed.

    Pitt finds a balance between comedy and tragedy in Jack鈥檚 character. When we first meet him, he鈥檚 a hedonistic Hollywood a-lister who embraces the town鈥檚 loose morality. Often drunk, frequently ridiculous, he鈥檚 never less than charming. As the good times evaporate and the industry he loves, and helped build, moves on without him, there is real pathos in his downfall.

    鈥淵ou thought the town needed you,鈥 says gossip columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart). 鈥淚t鈥檚 bigger than you.鈥

    Robbie has a showier, if slightly less rich, character arc. Nellie is a rough and tumble Hollywood creature with a taste for cocaine and fame. Her rise and fall may be more predictable than Jack鈥檚 career collapse, but it is just as colorful. From all night coke binges to a vomit scene that brings to mind Mr. Creosote, she鈥檚 troubled and troubling, a person whose self-destructive motivations are only truly understood by herself. Robbie plays her as a brash and bold woman enabled by Hollywood, her youth and Manny鈥檚 unrequited love.

    In a breakout performance Calva鈥檚 Manny begins his journey as an ambitious show business outlier. As he becomes an insider, Manny鈥檚 character becomes the avatar of the film鈥檚 theme of transformation.

    Each of these main characters, including Adepo鈥檚 trumpet playing Sidney Palmer, are in flux. They are adrift in the winds of change, flailing about, at the mercy of public opinion and an ever-changing industry. Manny鈥檚 makeover is undoubtedly the biggest step up, mostly because he is the only character not living in the moment. 鈥淓verything is about to change,鈥 he says after seeing 鈥淭he Jazz Singer,鈥 the first sound movie, and one of 鈥淏abylon鈥檚鈥 harbingers of transformation.

    Pitt, Robbie, Calva, Adepo and a stacked list of supporting players, including Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, Flea and 鈥淪NL鈥檚鈥 Chloe Fineman, among others, are given lots to do, but the real star is Chazelle. 鈥淏abylon鈥 is big and sloppy, but Chazelle shoots for the moon in a way that few other recent films have dared.

    PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH: 3 陆 STARS

    In 2011, I accused the first movie in the 鈥淧uss in Boots鈥 franchise of neutering the once-charming character. We fell in love with the frisky feline, as voiced by Antonio Banderas, in the 鈥淪hrek鈥 movies, but his journey from supporting to leading character was far from purrfect. The movies were predictable and worse, had none of the purr-sonality (OK. I鈥檒l stop with the cat puns now) of the 鈥淪hrek鈥 movies.

    Now, one television series, sequel and video game later, comes 鈥淧uss in Boots: The Last Wish,鈥 a movie, now playing in theatres, that raises the stakes.

    The new film opens with the plucky ginger cat (once again voiced by Banderas) in a life-or-death battle against a fur-midable (last one, I promise) opponent. 鈥淚 am known by many names,鈥 he brags. 鈥淪tabby Tabby. El Macho Gato. The Leche Whisperer. I am Puss in Boots!鈥

    He鈥檚 been in sticky situations before, but this one is different.

    鈥淚 have bad news,鈥 says the doctor who attends to his wounds. 鈥淵ou died.鈥

    It looks like the end for Puss in Boots, until he reminds the physician, 鈥淒octor, relax! I have nine lives!鈥

    鈥淎nd how many times have you died already?鈥

    鈥淥h,鈥 says Puss, 鈥淚鈥檓 not really a math guy.鈥

    Turns out, Puss is on his last life and must give up his adventurous ways if he wants to survive.

    Rather than become a lap-cat, the swashbuckling Puss, along with love interest Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and chatty therapy dog Perro (Harvey Guill茅n), sets off to into the Black Forest to find the mystical Last Wish and restore the lives he lost. 鈥淚 need to get my lives back,鈥 he says. 鈥淲ithout them, I am not the legend.鈥

    But after eight lives lived, Puss has many enemies, all of whom want track him down. 鈥淚 find the idea of nine lives absurd,鈥 says the Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura), 鈥渁nd you didn鈥檛 value any of them.鈥

    Animation is generally thought of as entertainment for kids, but legends like Don Bluth and Ralph Bakshi made their careers creating films that addressed darker subject matter. Now, 鈥淧uss in Boots: The Last Wish鈥 is no "The Secret of Nimh" or 鈥淔ire and Ice,鈥 but it is bleaker and more experimental than anything else in the franchise. Like the recent 鈥淕uillermo Del Toro鈥檚 Pinocchio,鈥 鈥淧uss in Boots: The Last Wish鈥 treads into adult territory theme wise, with higher stakes than we鈥檙e used to in a film aimed at kids--the Cave of Lost Souls, anyone?鈥攂ut does so with family audiences in mind.

    The character of PiB may be in peril, but the flamboyance that made him such a scene stealer in 鈥淪hrek 2鈥 is still on full display. He鈥檚 a huge personality in pocket-size, and Banderas brings a perfect combination of roguishness and righteousness to the voice work.

    Fun, villainous voice work from Florence Pugh, John Mulaney, and Wagner Moura, as Goldilocks, 鈥淏ig鈥 Jack Horner and Big Bad Wolf / Death respectively, add some spice and beautiful animation lifts the adventure sequences skyward.

    Best of all, the film鈥檚 underlying life lesson, that time is precious and we should enjoy it while we can鈥"When you only have one life,鈥 says Kitty Softpaws, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 what makes it special.鈥濃攊s nicely woven into the film鈥檚 fleet-footed, if slightly predictable plot.

    THE WHALE: 4 STARS

    A scene from 'The Whale.' (Courtesy of TIFF)

    Despite its dark subject matter, 鈥淭he Whale,鈥 Oscar nominated director Darren Aronofsky鈥檚 latest film, is coloured by a swirl of love, understanding and empathy.

    Brendan Fraser, in his first leading role in nearly a decade, plays Charlie, a house-bound, online English professor who is 600-pounds. Agoraphobic and unable to leave his apartment, the only outside contact Charlie has is his nurse and only friend Lis (Hong Chau) and the occasional visit from a pizza delivery guy (Sathya Sridharan). He is large to the point where even simple tasks, like standing up to retrieve a dropped remote from the floor, becomes a Herculean task.

    鈥淵ou will die by the weekend,鈥 Lis says, clocking his blood pressure at 238/134. 鈥淭hen I have to get to work,鈥 he says optimistically. 鈥淚 have papers to grade.鈥

    Charlie suffers from a twice broken heart; once by congestive heart failure, the second by the death of his partner Alan. 鈥淪omeone close to me passed away and it had an effect,鈥 he says with great understatement. 鈥淚 was always big,鈥 admitting he binge-eats to make himself feel better. 鈥淚 let it get out of control.鈥

    Now, with just days left to live, he has one wish. He wants to repair the relationship with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), a 17-year-old he hasn鈥檛 seen since he left his family after falling in love with Alan, one of his students. 鈥淚 need to know I did one thing right in my life,鈥 he says.

    Ellie, just eight-years-old when he deserted her, wants nothing to do with him鈥斺淚鈥檓 not spending time with you,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e disgusting. You鈥檇 still be disgusting even if you weren鈥檛 fat.鈥濃攂ut reluctantly relents when he offers to pay her and tutor her in exchange for spending time together.

    As Charlie鈥檚 condition worsens, Ellie spends more time at the apartment, uncovering aspects of her father鈥檚 life with the help of a new friend, a na茂ve missionary named Thomas (Ty Simpkins).

    Aronofsky brings us into Charlie鈥檚 world, a place where grief and forgiveness live side by side to create an intimate and compassionate portrait of a man who allowed his life to spiral out of control.

    The specter of death hangs over every frame of 鈥淭he Whale,鈥 and yet Fraser manages to bring optimism to a character not long for this world. He's looking to set things straight and make sure Ellie will have the tools to have a decent life after he goes. It is a tremendous performance that soars, transcending the stage-bound nature of the story.

    CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

    Top Hezbollah commander among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut

    Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and several members of the group's elite Radwan unit in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday, the Israeli military and a security source in Lebanon said, sharply escalating the year-long conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    Canada

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

    • A field trip aimed at educating Toronto students about the plight of a northern Ontario First Nation ended with them taking part in a protest where pro-Palestinian slogans were shouted.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

    • Lawyers representing the producers of 'Russians at War' say they may pursue legal action against Ontario's public broadcaster for pulling support for the controversial documentary amid outcry from the Ukrainian community and some Canadian politicians.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    Sports

    • WATCH LIVE

      WATCH LIVE

      Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • The Winnipeg Jets have some huge holes to fill on both offence and defence this season.

    Autos

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

    Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

    • Thousands of protesters are expected to march into downtown Vancouver on Friday, demanding more action from their government to address the growing climate crisis.

    • Members of the only organized support group for the Vancouver Canucks are feeling slighted after losing their usual space at Rogers Arena.

    • There have been more reports of a Bitcoin extortion scam seeking to exploit viewers of "adult content" in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, according to the RCMP.

    • The Ford government is considering restricting Ontario municipalities from installing new bike lanes that would require the removal of lanes of traffic, a source confirms to CTV News Toronto.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • A field trip aimed at educating Toronto students about the plight of a northern Ontario First Nation ended with them taking part in a protest where pro-Palestinian slogans were shouted.

    • Defence counsel for accused murderer John-Christopher Arrizza argues he was in an 鈥渁ltered state of mind鈥 due to days of drug and alcohol use, sleep deprivation and not eating, when he fatally stabbed a man at a Banff nightclub in 2022.

    • The Calgary Food Bank鈥檚 city-wide food drive reaches its 20-year milestone this Saturday.

    • Calgary pickleball players will soon have a dozen new courts to play on.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Ottawa Fire Services says a driver has been safely extricated after being trapped following a two-vehicle collision near a high school in the city鈥檚 south end.

    • The Ottawa Police Service Arson Unit is seeking witnesses to a fire that happened early Friday morning in a two-storey commercial building in Little Italy.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • Edmonton police say a man who was died in the river valley last weekend was fatally shot.

    • DEVELOPING

      DEVELOPING

      Edmonton police are warning about traffic disruptions on Friday near the headquarters of the Alberta Teachers' Association, where a protest against the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in school curricula will be taking place.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    • The families of some students who will be using Nova Scotia鈥檚 school lunch program can now order their meals online.

    • Gas prices increased in all three Maritime provinces for the first time in more than a month.

    • The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) has made an arrest following a fire that claimed the lives of two people.

    • Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn鈥檛 been seen since Wednesday morning.

    • A Winnipeg pet rescue is putting out a warning to dog owners across the city about a possible parvovirus in the province.

    • Driving into the tunnels of Nutrien's Rocanville mine, the largest potash mine in the world by production volume, feels like driving down a lonely highway in the middle of the night.

    • A tornado in Langbank, Sask. on Wednesday was the third latest in the province on record, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are being monitored after a leak in Brantford Collegiate Institute鈥檚 geothermal system.

    • Guelph resident, Susan Bard, is being remembered as a vibrant community advocate and volunteer who died doing what she loved 鈥 cycling.

    • Emergency services responded to a vehicle fire Friday morning in the area of Samuelson Street in Cambridge.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • A 69-year-old woman from Outlook, Saskatchewan is dead and three people are injured after a truck and SUV collided on Highway 15 on Thursday.

    • A gym teacher at a private Christian school in Saskatoon has been charged. Terra MacEwan, 44, is charged with assault with a weapon. A Saskatoon mother who spoke with CTV News says her autistic son was MacEwan's victim.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • The Elgin Community Health Hub, operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team, is accepting new patients to a model where doctors are rarely seen.

    • Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and supportetrs greatly outnumbered the people attending a '1 Million March 4 Children' event along Central Avenue.

    • Today, the 71 year old is marking 50 years a paramedic. He said he never aspired to move into management or a desk job, he enjoys being on the road, helping patients too much.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • Police are investigating after they say several firearms and other valuables were stolen from a home in Tiny Township.

    • A truck driver from Orillia is proof that saying yes to Encore can pay off in a big way.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family鈥檚 backyard pool.

    • Windsor fire is on scene at an incident on McDougall Street.

    • On Thursday, just after 9:30 a.m., a man was found and taken to police headquarters, where he was released with conditions and a future court date.

    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan 鈥 drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

    • Getting a bed at one of British Columbia's drug detoxification facilities is like winning the lottery, the vice-president on the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council says.

    • The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls 鈥 including one that gave birth to 10 puppies 鈥 from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

    • North Bay Police Service says one person has died following an industrial accident at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission Rail Yard on Tuesday.

    • Three northern Ontario residents are charged with drug trafficking after the vehicle they were in got stuck along a bush road off Highway 17 on Monday.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News